Dark Sector

If you're a fan of fast-paced action complemented by gluttonous gore, do yourself a favor and allow Dark Sector to infect you.

The similarities to Gears hurt its originality, but the glaive is simply awesome.

There may have not been a lot of hype surrounding the release of Dark Sector, but it’s definitely worth a look.

It’s the culmination of a very long development that presents itself as one of the first good surprises of the year. It doesn’t have the intention to innovate, especially when compared to Resident Evil 4, but its solid gameplay mechanics, alongside with some great visuals, make for a great experience. Especially for those who like visceral action. [Apr 2008]

Dark Sector doesn’t try to revolutionize the action game genre. It just wants you to have fun, by killing enemies with an awesome weapon and going online to do the same. And it certainly succeeds as being a fun game, with great presentation values.

In closing, Dark Sector has familiar gameplay to Gears of War, using the cover system, perspective and excessive bloodshed, but it's addition of abilities helps animate the darkened world.

The great level design, intense combat setpieces, and the incredibly depressing design aesthetic are all top-notch. It's a prime example of great execution elevating a tired premise.

Outside of a few issues Dark Sector does a good job of blending the elements of action, story, and interaction that create a fun, enjoyable gaming experience.

Dark Sector is recommended to any gamer looking for a gruesome fix of body slicing action, and whilst the game is not near as bad as the media has perceived, it is undoubtedly going up against a strong line-up of first-person shooters currently on the Xbox 360.

Not everything needs to be "Gears of War," there is room for good shooters with some original elements that fill the gaps in-between "Super Smash Brothers" and "Grand Theft Auto," and that is where games like Dark Sector come in. The multiplayer isn’t good enough to keep you playing for long, but it is definitely worth a single play through.

This action opus provides buckets of blood-spilling entertainment, especially once you utilize the raw power of the Glaive weapon.

It would have scored 9+ easy with a fleshed out story and engaging multi-player, but as it stands you get a truly visceral and enjoyable single-player action romp that will satisfy any fan of the genre.

It's not going to set the world alight like Gears of War and it doesn't revolutionise survival horror like Resident Evil 4, but its thrilling combat and sensational visuals make it well worth adding to your collection.

Dark Sector is constantly impressive and tighter than most triple-A releases, with only a few tiny niggles and its decidedly basic structure holding it back from taming the genre altogether.

For action fans, Dark Sector is definitely a game worth checking out because it hits all the right notes.

Dark Sector is engaging and addictive, but only the first time through. After beating the game, you will more than likely find yourself searching for a reason to work through the storyline again.

The shoddy script will annoy and disappoint everyone, but luckily, the rest of the game is solid, and even impressive.

In closing, Dark Sector is a decent action shooting game that will appeal to those gamers who like a little thinking with their blasting.

Dark sector is a good action game, mainly thanks to the entertaining Glaive. However, it has its flaws, especially the close combat, short lifespan and weak online mode.

Its faster-paced take on the Gears of War formula, coupled with the novelty of the bladed glaive mechanic, pull Dark Sector above the mire of mediocre shooters that it could so easily have become.

On the whole, while a few elements of combat fall short, a decent story coupled with consistently delivered “Wow!” moments make Dark Sector enjoyable.

A really satisfying set of powers makes up for middling creativity. And cheer up a bit, eh? [May 2008, p.70]

When the really similar levels and waves of opponents get too repetitive towards the end of the game, Dark Sector's weak storyline might not be enough to carry the more fickle fan to the finish line...It's fun, but it's not perfect.

If you’re in the market for a third person shooter that involves a little more than just shooting, this will make a worthy acquisition for your Xbox 360 library.

Digital Extremes has set out to create an original 3rd-person, action-shooter powered by next-gen hardware, and in that respect team from London, Onatario has done an incredible job.

With a bit more diversity in the environments and enemies, more weapons to use, and a longer running time, Dark Sector could be a real contender.

The glaive is something that every action nut has to wrap his or her hands around. Like the BFG or the cerebral bore, you’ll remember this weapon forever. Sadly, you’ll remember the weapon more than the game itself.

So it's not for multiplayer fans or story fans or innovation fans, but Dark Sector is certainly a good game. When it all comes together and you're ducking in and out of cover while shooting and throwing the Glaive at groups of enemies, it's a lot of fun, and the visual spark and A.I./pacing/combat polish make it worth playing.

Dark Sector lacks the compelling storyline that it alludes to early on, but offers plenty of enjoyable combat nonetheless.

A fun if slightly derivative third-person shooter. It certainly isn’t close to perfect -- the melee is kind of wonky and disappointingly underdeveloped, it suffers from a fair bit of repetition, and the enemy A.I. is only somewhat smarter than the girls on Flavor of Love. But the infected powers, the occasionally dazzling visuals, and Michael Rosenbaum’s sweet, sweet voice definitely make the game worth a look if you’re a fan of the genre.

And while there’s little aside from the inclusion of the glaive in combat that could really be considered an innovation, it’s still something that can keep a solid hold of the player’s attention throughout.

Digital Extremes has done a fairly good job with bringing a new IP to life, while not the AAA title that many expected, it's an incredibly solid action game with gorgeous graphics, intense combat, and a story that if done right could go places in a sequel.

In the future, Digital Extremes needs to put the storyline through the ringer and give it a much better narrative for players to follow through.

If Dark Sector were a student, he'd be expelled for plagiarism. Thankfully, the Glaive more than makes up for the rampant copying of mechanics and ideas.

While it sure isn't a AAA game, it's hard to fault Dark Sector for anything past the seriously broken melee attack.